Sparrow's Love
by hungergamesaddict96
Summary: Maria Swan thought she had her life planned. Her Fathers second favourite, in line to marry the second in command. All planned until she realises that her Father and Sister have lied to her all these years. She isn't a Swan, her Father is a pirate, so when Mr Sparrow comes along so does a oppertunity for her to have freedom of her life. It's all for Sparrow's Love
1. Chapter 1

I don't know how to do a Copyright thingy so really I don't own any characters apart from Maria Barbossa, Copyright to the creators of Pirates of the Caribbean.

I woke up to Hannah opening the curtains for me, I love waking up to the sun light however looking out of the window I can see that today is going to take a turn for the worst as there are dark clouds closing in. I live in the Governors household as he is my father. I also have a sister, Elizabeth, she is father's favourite daughter and only she is allowed to call him Father. It hurts me when he says this but I just let it pass.

"Morning Miss, Mr Swan has asked that you dress appropriately today as it is Commodore Norrington's celebration today."

"Morning Hannah, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Maria?"

"Morning Maria, which dress would you like to wear today?" Hannah asks while looking through my wardrobe, I hate dresses they are so heavy and normally I ditch the corset but today I am to wear one as it is a formal event we are attending, well FORCED to attend.

"There was that so hard? And you can pick, you know how much I LOVE dresses" Hannah laughs at my sarcasm while helping me with my corset.

"Knock Knock it's only me. Morning Maria" Elizabeth my older sister calls as she walks into my room.

"Morning Elizabeth what can I do for you?" I ask while trying to adjust to the lack of oxygen in my lungs from this damn corset. Elizabeth looks beautiful however in her new imported gown from England, she always does.

"Hannah you may leave I will help Maria continue to dress." Hannah nods respectfully and then leaves the room.

"What is the matter Elizabeth why did Hannah have to leave?" I am starting to worry as Elizabeth has a sad look in her eyes.

"Well today is your 18th birthday yes?" She pauses so I nod in reply Elizabeth continues "Well when you were just a month old you put on our doorstep and with you were to notes one addressed to Father and one to you. Father never liked you calling him Father because he isn't yours it wasn't because he hated you or preferred me it was just that he knew if he grew close to you; it would hurt him more when you were taken away. I'm sorry I never told you this, and I am afraid to say that Fathers plan didn't work as he loves you dearly, as do I." Elizabeth was crying now and I felt a trickle slowly running down my cheek. The people I called my family weren't all these years the people who I trusted the most lied to me. At least now I know that it wasn't favouritism from Father, I mean Mr Swan, it was just because I wasn't his daughter.

"Maria are you ok? I am so sorry that I didn't tell you please forgive me I don't care that we are not related by blood you will always be my sister."

"Miss Elizabeth your Father requests your presence downstairs, please." Hannah says while poking her head around the door, she then leaves again. When Elizabeth has finished helping me into my dress she leaves a note on the table and leaves. I can't bring myself to talk to her or forgive her; of course I love her it's just that she lied to me for my whole life how can we ever get past that? Well I better read the letter now rather than later, why put it off what else could be worse than being lied to? My parents being: pirates? Tyrants? Dead? I honestly couldn't care anymore, they obviously didn't.

_To my dearest Maria,_

_I am terribly sorry that I must leave you. I am dying and I would hate for you to go through losing a Mother as it would be too hard for you to deal with and then being left to fend for yourself on the streets. It is with deep regret that I have to give you up, my beautiful baby girl, you see I met your Father and we conceived you out of wedlock and because my Family was one of high class they shunned me away. I am to live on the streets, where I have picked up an awful disease. I have written to your Father and he will now know about your existence. I have told him where you live and will grow up, I also asked him to leave you alone and to grow into a woman of 18 until he can contact you, I want you to have a good life so please don't hate me for keeping your Father away. He is neither a noble man nor a man who follows the law. He is a pirate, and that is why I can't let him have you until you are 18, by then you will be wise enough to know the dangers and learn how to fight. Your Father's name is Captain Barbossa of the Black Pearl, he will come for you but only go if you want to, do not be forced._

_Remember that this is the hardest decision I have ever had to make and the hardest letter I have ever had to write and I am sorry, but I believe and know that it is the best possible way for you to have a life that is worth living. I have left you with the Governor and I hope that he follows my wishes and treats you as his own, and leaves this a secret until you are 18. I will always love you and I hope that you will never forget this. Please know that your Father is a good man he just doesn't show it all the time. _

_I have given you a necklace that was a gift from your father as it is a heirloom of his, it is very precious so please keep it with you. As it belonged to both me and your father it is now a part of us and now you too._

_Be safe and lead a happy and long life my beautiful baby Maria._

_My love for always,_

_Rosa Clingard, Your Mother._

My mother is dead? My father a pirate? I think my life will never be the same after today. I look into the envelope and see a small necklace well a locket really, it must have been hers. I clip it to my neck and put on some shoes and make my way to the entrance hall. That is when I see my childhood friend, Will Turner. I see him gazing longingly into Elizabeth's eyes and Elizabeth returning the same look so I clear my throat and run down the stairs and throw myself into Will's arms.

"Hey Maria, Happy Birthday, here's your gift it's not much really but I hope you like it." I thank Will and open the gift; it's a book of the poetry that I like. Will and I are best friends and I train with him for 3hours a day with the swords in case of an attack. He always said that I was naturally talented with the sword; I wonder if it is my pirate blood?

"Well we must be going thank you for delivering the sword and give our praises to its creator." Mr Swan said as he ushers us out of the door and into the carriage.

"Goodbye Will" Elizabeth says as she enters the carriage and as we pull away I'm sure I heard Will call goodbye to Elizabeth.

We have now been standing for hours now watching these men prance around in funny looking uniforms, so I decided to skip. I was walking down the pier when I heard to guards and another man talking. The guards obviously dressed in uniform and the other was wearing a funny hat with a long jacket. His hair was in dreadlocks and he had a handsome face, yeah he was really handsome.

"We'll there's no real ship that can match the interceptor." Guard number 1 says, he has a funny hat.

"The black pearl is a real ship." Guard number 2 says while turning to face guard number 1. Hmmm maybe I should call them Bill and Ben.

"No no it's not." Bill replied to Ben, Yes definitely should be there names.

"Yes it is I've seen it."

"You've seen it?"

"Yes"

"You haven't seen it"

"Yes, I have."

"You've seen a ship with black sails, that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out?"

While this was going on I notice the handsome man walking onto the Interceptor. So naturally I follow. I wonder what he is doing here anyway.

I stand to the side as I see Bill and Ben climbing onboard the Interceptor.

"Hey! You! Get away from there. You too Missy." Bill shouts. The Handsome man notices me now for the first time and bows slightly to notice my existence. I nod back respectfully; I'm not curtsying to him especially with these two pointing guns at me. Do they not know that I am the Governor's daughter; well they don't know I'm adopted.

"I'm sorry, it's just – it's such a pretty boat. Ship." I laugh at the man and his words. But he signals me to move near him so I do so with caution but he obviously wants to escape or protect me or something.

"What's your name?" Bill said.

"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like." Ahh so it's Mr Smith then is it handsome? I really need to stop calling him handsome I sound like Elizabeth; I'm not interested in men this way.

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?" Again Bill answered while watching me move closer to Mr Smith, probably wondering if I knew him.

"Yeah. And no lies." Ha Idiot, I love Ben he is so stupid it is unbelievable.

"Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out!" WHAT! I think I'm going deaf I might just collapse or something from heat stroke because it sounds like he just told them what he was planning to do.

"I said no lies!" Well Ben obviously didn't believe him.

"I think he's telling the truth." There was Ben with his ever so clever input once again.

"If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us."

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you." I was about to say something when I heard a splash and a man shout Elizabeth. Immediately I run to the boat to see a splash as to where my sister has fallen. I start to remove my dress but a hand comes and stops me. It was Mr Smith.

"You leave your clothes on Miss it'll ruin your name if you take them off." He says while he starts stripping too.

"She is my sister you idiot!" I shout at him while I remove my dress. He pauses to look at my breasts.

"You pervert stop staring!" Is he serious? He moves to touch me but I realise he wasn't staring at me but at my necklace that was in the letter.

"Where did you get that from? You're not a Barbossa are you?" But I didn't answer his question I jumped into the water to save my sister. I see Mr Smith in the water too, so he must have followed. Together we pull Elizabeth back to land. Bill and Ben where there to help us pull Elizabeth out of the water and onto the pier.

"Why isn't she breathing? Elizabeth? Can you hear me? Please be ok." I cry into her chest. It wasn't until after that I notice that Mr Smith has cut open Elizabeth's corset and she starts to breathe again. I throw myself at Mr Smith and cry my thanks into his chest.

"What is going on here? Why are both my daughters practically naked and my youngest sitting hugging a stranger? Maria stop it now!" I hear Mr Swan shout, and I pull away while looking down. I stand up and so does Mr Smith and Elizabeth. I was stood slightly in front of Mr Smith.

"Well Father I passed out because of too little air and fell from the fort. Maria and this man here jumped in to rescue me so if it wasn't for him then I wouldn't be here I would be at the bottom of the ocean floor." Elizabeth explained to Father and the Commodore.

"Well you can put your weapons down now men."Mr Swan told the armed guards.

"I believe thanks are in order." Commodore shakes Mr Smith's hand but then stops and pulls up his sleeve. I can't believe what I saw, he was a pirate. "Had a brush with the East India Trading company, did we, pirate? Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons. Well, well? Jack Sparrow, isn't it?" Hmm I should have known all along that his name wasn't Smith. Doesn't matter really I like the name Jack better.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir." While he is put in chains.

"Please don't kill him; he saved my life, would you really kill my rescuer." Elizabeth tries to reason but stupid Commodore just ignores her and pushes her to Mr Swan behind him. I still stand a bit to the side of Jack standing my ground.

"Well, I don't see your ship Captain." Ignorant Commodore thinks he's so good.

"I'm in the market as it were." Jack replies coolly. I must give him praise he doesn't seem fazed at all.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one." Way Bill catches up at least.

"Told ya he was telling the truth. These are his, sir." Ways to go Ben just give up any chance of the saviour getting away. Hmmm maybe he knows my Father. I must help him. I walk up to Jack and whisper in his ear.

"Put the chains around my neck and pull me along, ask for your effects and then release me but please take me with you." He nods to show he heard me when Commodore thinks he is nodding to him. With that he pulls the chain around my neck I act along with him, giving him a slight wink as if to say that I'm good. I wonder if Mr Swan/ Father will let them shoot me, seen as though i'm not his real daughter.

"Shoot him" Commodore cries.

"No wait my Maria is still with him." I smile at my Fathers/ Mr Swan's words.

"I knew you'd warm up to me Miss. Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat. Commodore! Maria. It is Maria isn't it?" Jack said while moving backwards slightly.

"It's Miss Swan." I reply while acting along.

Miss Swan, if you'd be so kind. Come, come, dear, we don't have all day. Now if you'd be very kind." He says while I strap his belt around him. "Easy on the goods, darling." He gives me a cheeky wink.

By the way I'll be taking this little Miss with me, I need some fun." He winks suggestively at my sister and pushes me behind him and wraps my arms around his waist.

"Gentlemen, m'lady, you will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" and with that we are catapulted into the air, no shots are fired because I was with him.

We manage to find our way to Will's shop. But then the inevitable happens. Will grabs me and pulls me behind him while pointing a sword at Jack.

"Will let me go, I want to go with him."

"No Maria you can't be a pirate it's not you."

"It is me Will it's in my blood my real Father was a pirate. Barbodda or something!" I scream at him and run towards Jack. He also pulls me behind him.

"Well then Will, can I call you Will? We'll I am going to anyway. You can't fight me i'm a pirate and you will know now that Maria here wanted to go with me." Jack says while we walk to the door. The next thing though I'm back in Will's arms and Jack is lying flat out on the floor. Will smashed him on the head with a glass.

"You Maria are not telling anyone that you wanted to go or you will be hung for helping a pirate escape understand?"

"Yes Will." I can't believe he did that, it was my way of freedom."

"Ahh Mr Turner I see you caught our pirate and pirate sympathiser." He turns his pointed glare towards me as if to tell me that he knows. Well I may as well glare back.

"Through her in a cell, him too." Commodore says and walks off. I hear a smash and feel pain in the back of my head but then the darkness consumes me.

[Few hours later]

Owh! My head, I roll over expecting to find a table with water on it but instead I feel something warm like a leg.

"Like feeling me up now do you Missy?" I hear a dark seductive voice say. As if his voice triggered something in the back of my mind I suddenly remember everything from the last couple of hours. I look down to see myself in only my under dress. Why was I not aware of this at the time?

"Would you like my coat? You're getting some weird looks of the pervy prisoner's lovey."

"Yes please I would really appreciate it. So what's happened since I was out?" I ask while putting on Jacks coat.

"Well the black pearl attacked and many people are injured. The Captain was said to be looking for a Maria in the Governors household. It wasn't you was it lovey?"

"Well-"I was about to tell Jack when Will came rushing in.

"Maria! Are you going to tell me why those pirates where looking for you."

"It's cos the captain was her Father." Jack answered for me... WAIT how he know.

"How do you know? I didn't tell you." I state sending him a glare while I do it.

"Well yesterday you said that your Dad was called 'Barbodda or something' and that necklace is an heirloom or you're Fathers."

"Oh right I forgot about that." Dum Maria stupid, stupid!

"Well anyway they came last night about some gold and you, well Elizabeth said her name was yours, she also had a medallion that they needed something about the Aztec gold? I'm not sure well anyway to sum up the story Elizabeth was taken by the pirates." Will said in a rushed breath.

"What's your name boy?" Jack asked from behind me.

"William Turner and you are Jack Sparrow a pirate."

"A pirate I maybe but it is in your blood son, those pirates will be needing it soon."

"Well guys as much as I want to listen to your nonsense I don't have time for it, I need to rescue my sister. Will get me out." I say while standing up and dusting myself off.

Bang! Will opens the door and we rush out.

"Wait, lovey, you're going to have to change, here in there." Jack ushers us into a pub and through to the female toilets.

"Go away if i'm to change then." Will did as I asked but all Jack replied was;

"Promise I won't look" And winked my way.

Well guys what did you think? Do you like it hate it or love it?

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I'm not bothered about voting actually I just want a couple of comments so I know if I should carry on writing or not, Thanks 3

Smurf xxx


	2. Chapter 2

"We're going to steal the ship. That ship?" Will asks Jack, I hope Will doesn't turn chicken, I need to save Elizabeth. I need to save her because it's my fault that she's in this mess. Well that and because according to Jack she has a necklace of some kind that belongs to one of the pirates, i'm not sure though it's all confusing.

"Maria lovey hurry up, stop daydreaming or we will miss the opportunity, savvy?"

Oh man I was daydreaming again.

"We'll missy you have come out of your daydream I see, anyway William, Commandeer. We're going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term. One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl, how far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her."

"Oh, good. No worries, then and you Maria?"

"The same, she is still my sister and i'm sure that she'd do the same for me." So off we went but I honestly didn't see this coming I mean a boat underwater? That's just genius, you can see all the fish and coral.

"This is either madness or brilliance."

"It's brilliance I love seeing the bottom of the sea like this." We'll i'm honest if not anything right? I love the sea I always have.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide. Missy I'm glad you like it, now up you get we're by the ship now." So we all climb up, it's hard work to especially seen as though we had to climb up the anchor rope, i'm just glad that i'm in pants and trousers rather than a stupid dress.

"Everyone stay calm! We are taking over the ship." Jack shouts while holding a sword out for me to use. We'll i'm not going to pass a opportunity up to use a sword.

"Aye! Avast!" Will shouts and receives a look from Jack and I can't keep it in I burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, I-I... Ha... Can-Can't... hahaha Believe... haha...y-y-you...said t-t-that." I laugh while clutching my stomach.

"Shut up Maria." Will glares at me with enough annoyance to get me to stop.

"This ship cannot be crewed by two men. You'll never make it out of the bay." Gillette said, I actually used to like Gillette we used to be friends.

"Excuse me I am here so that makes it three." I just had to point it out and stick my tongue at him.

"Well having a woman on board is not much difference, what are you going to do? Sit and look pretty all day?" He says with a smirk and I just snap, how dare he say that to me.

"Let me go NOW Jack! I'm gonna kill him!" I scream while trying to get out of his grasp.

"Now lovey we can't have you going round killing people just yet, don't give him the benefit of the doubt savvy?" Jack reasons and as I calm he loosens his grip on me.

"Of course we can, Son, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" Jack says to Gillette while pointing a gun at him.

"Sir, they've taken the Dauntless. They've taken the ship. Sparrow Turner and Miss Swan– they've taken the Dauntless." Gillette and his crew shout from the little boat we forced them into.

"Here they come Jack" I shout up to him.

"Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges." While he does this I grab hold of Jack and he throws me over his shoulder to carry us across to the Interceptor. "Sailors, back to the Interceptor! Now!" Haha sucker!

"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves." Jack shouts across and gives a cheeky grin.

We'll we've been sailing for a while now and I am getting board and sick of the boring things Will is saying I mean I have heard the story of Will's father plenty of times over the years when we were practicing with the swords.

"When I was a lad living in England , my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father." Will says. Yada Yada Yada... Boring story.

"Is that so?" Well I think that Jack is sarcastic there.

"My father, Will Turner . At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." Haha not a simpleton, I can't help but snigger at that.

"I knew, i'm, Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." Wow Jack knew him?

"Bootstrap?" Will asks, this is getting interesting. Never heard this part before.

"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him." WOW PIRATE! Definitely never heard this part before.

"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." Haha doubt that if he was a pirate here.

"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag." Wow Jack keep it low, Will is getting angry.

"My father was not a pirate." Will pulls out his sword and I jump in front of him and Jack.

"Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again." Haha well done Jack just please drop it now we need both people to get to Elizabeth.

"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you."

"Ok guys please stop we need to stay calm" I say but they both ignore me.

"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it? I'd duck if I were you missy." So I duck but Will is swung over the bow pole and hanging over the sea. "Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these, what a man _can_ do and what a man _can't_ do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday. Now, me, for example, I can let you drown but I can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by me onesy, savvy? Socan you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?" With that I turn round and smack Jack and turn the wheel so that Will is back on the boat.

"YOU IDIOT! Will could have drowned!"I scream in Jacks face.

"Well he didn't so stop shouting at me lovey."

"No you listen, we need everyone on here to be able to trust one another and if we can't do that then there is no point in us going on this task together. I trust Will with my life, you not so much and i'm sure that Will feels the same way so it's YOU that has to prove that he can be trusted ok?" I finish at storm off.

"Well that young lady has a temper on her." I hear Jack say to Will.

"_Oh_ no Jack she's no lady. Anyway Tortuga?" I hear Will ask.

"Tortuga . More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga , savvy? What do you think?"

"It'll linger." And with that I fell asleep.

Hi guys, this is the second chapter and I know that some people are reading and I appreciate it I would love it however if you could comment as I need feedback so I can improve the story. I don't care if it is bad or good I like to know your opinions so thanks

Smurf 3 X


	3. Chapter 3

Jack, Will and I had reached Tortuga. I managed to sulk in my cabin most of the time; I managed to call dobs on the Captain's quarters so that is now my area on every ship we are going to be sailing on. When we were at sea I kept hearing whispers and I felt like I was being drawn towards the sea. A couple of times Will and Jack had to stop me from walking over board due to my day dreams. We had only been in Tortuga five minutes before Jack was slapped by some cheap tart. Sorry I mean some lady, I don't understand why I said that. We were currently looking for one of Jack's friends someone called 'Gibbs' it rings a bell actually but I can't think of where from. We are standing outside a pigs den but there seems to be a man sleeping there, i'm not sure why Will and I had to carry buckets of water from the local pump to this sty. Jack grabs my bucket and throws it on top of the sleeping man startling the sleeping man awake.

"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot! Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck" The sleeping man Jack calls Gibbs shouted at Jack he glanced at me and then looked away before returning to stare at me.

"Do you's too know each other lovey?" Jack asked us obviously noticing how Gibbs was looking at me.

"It must be 10 yrs eh Ms Swan, it's me Mi'ter Gibbs of the royal Navy, I was there the day we fished young Will here out of the sea" Gibbs explained to me, that must have been where I recognised him from. When we were sailing Elizabeth saw a boy in the water and then when we looked up you could see a burning ship but there was a pirate ship sailing in the other direction. Mr Gibbs had always been obsessed with pirates and the 'rules' of the sea. Father had banned us from speaking to him when we were younger but I heard that he had been caught stealing and banned from the navy.

"Gibbs, fortunately I know how to counter it, the bad look be it that I speak of. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Jack trailed off obviously ignoring the fact that I knew Gibbs and that we had been having a conversation inbetween.

"Aye, that'll about do it." I look up and out of the corner of my eye I see Will throw his bucket of water over Gibbs "Blast! I'm already awake!"

"That was for the smell." Will states with a simple shrug of his shoulders and I burst out laughing, Jack looks down at me slightly amused.

"Mr Turner, can I trust you to look after Ms Swan and help her find her way to the Inn that we will be drinking in?" Jack asks Will in his serious voice and does some weird thing with his eyebrows.

"Of course" Will tells Jack while looking down at me with a grin spread across his face, probably because I am still laughing.

"Well Mr Gibbs and I will meet you there"

I watch as Jack and Mr Gibbs walk off, as soon as Will knows they can no longer see us he too bursts into a fit of laughter.

After 5 minutes of laughing Will and I make our way to the Inn. Tortuga is an amazing place, it's full of freedom and pirates, most "ladies" would hate it but because I am born to be free I feel right at home. Will leads me into the pub where Jack and Mr Gibbs are, I see Jack tell the landlady something and then she walks towards me and embraces me in a hug.

"Ello Maria, i'm Daphne, come this way and we'll get some things you'll be need while travelling with Jack" I follow Daphne into the back; she has a large dressing room and loads of dresses.

"Well me dear from the looks of you you'll be needing a couple of dresses and some girly things and probably a sturdy pair of shoes, seen as though you are wearing a old man's boot" She laughed and walked towards her dresses. Daphne is a very thin but beautiful woman; surprisingly she is very clean considering all the other women here have mud or dirt on their face and hands.

"Strip of lass come on I haven't got all day, there we go we'll let you have a nice wash" Daphne told me while helping me into a large bath tub. As soon as I was in the tub I felt the usual comfort that water brings but this time I felt a tingle run down my legs and toes. I looked down and saw a massive green tail in place of my legs. The last thing I heard was Daphne saying "I thought so" before I blacked out.

I came to a couple of minutes later but standing next to Daphne was Jack. He was looking and my tail with a thoughtful face.

"Ello Maria, you just sit up nice an' slowly that's a good lass" Daphne said while helping me sit up in the bath tub.

"What-Why-How-?" I began but I found that whatever I was thinking wasn't able to be processed into words quite yet.

"Well me dear when I heard that Jack was in Tortuga with a young lass I knew that it was going to be trouble so I offered to help you; but when I saw your necklace I knew that you where a Barbossa so I knew that you must be the daughter of Rosa" Daphne said with certainty but how does she know that Barbossa and my mother where together?

"How did you know my Mother?" I asked Daphne, she looked down at me with a warm smile.

"I'm her sister" Daphne told me while trying to help me out of the tub, Jack was just sitting in the corner trying to take it all in.

"What? Didn't her family turn her away? So you left your sister to die on the streets even though she was pregnant?" I asked suddenly realising what it meant, she was a part of the family that had disowned my mother part of the reason why she isn't alive today.

"I left with Rosa: I was there when you were born; I was there when she gave you up; I was there to hold her when she cried herself to sleep because she had left you and I was there when she died. I held her and made sure that she was comfortable and was pain free, it was one of the most painful things I have ever done but for her it was the easiest. I promised her that I would find you and I have so I must give you the warning now: Your father isn't who you think he is but believe me he can look after you if you give him a chance" Daphne told me I saw the tears run down her face as she remembered the death of her sister.

"My father, Barbossa is he a mermaid?"

"No, that blood was from our side not his. My mother was unfaithful to the man who I believed to be my father and the result was me and Rosa, we were twins you know. Anyway our 'Father' found out and that was the main reason why he kicked us out but Rosa being pregnant just topped it all off for him and it made it easier for my mother to turn her back on us" Daphne told me with the hatred she felt for her 'parents in her eyes.

While we had been talking my tail had disappeared and Daphne had helped me back into a dress complete with a corset, yay, not. Jack had turned while I had dressed but he never left the room.

"You can control yourself around humans and you will only turn into a mermaid when you are in water so you can hide it well. We also find it easy to control water it's a gift that we are given"

"I have bathed all my life so why is it now that I have turned into a mermaid?" I was under the water just last week so how comes I didn't turn then, it would have been easier than walking the length of the ocean, well maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but walking with a boat over your head doesn't give you the safest feeling.

"You will only turn after you have been 18 for a week dear" Rosa told me with a smile probably laughing at my confused face. She turned me round to face the mirror I heard Jack gasp as I was now facing him too. I looked beautiful, like a real lady. I had my hair natural as it dropped into ringlets down to my waist with a lovely green bow keeping the top half of my hair out of my face. I had a lovely green dress on that hugged my curves perfectly before drifting out due to the underskirts. I looked more womanly than I did little over a week ago. I looked forward and saw that my cheek bones looked more defined, my lips redder and plumper and my breast larger and my hips looked more womanly too. It's impossible. I move forward to look at my new face and Daphne smiled.

"It is because you have just changed for the first time, your mer-side is more dominant and it always will be but the more you turn the more you will notice the differences" she explained. I turned to look at her and saw that she has a tear in her eye; "You look just like her, your mother yet you are stronger and more determined" She smiled and sat down.

Jack had left just after I had turned around probably to go and find more crew members or to tell Will and Mr Gibbs about what had happened.

"Thank-you so much Daphne I can't believe how much you have been able to help me in the last few hours, you have helped me to find who I really am i will never be able to repay you for this" I told her while sitting at her feet.

"Its nonsense my dear I wanted to help, but you must promise me that you will return to your life, you can't become a pirate it's not the life of a young girl, you deserve a decent husband and a beautiful family with a wonderful home that I can come and visit you in. My sister was stupid enough to fall in love with a pirate and it took her life, please don't do the same" She told me while taking my hands and looking at me in the eye.

"I spent my life being the governor's daughter, I don't want to end up as some stupid lady who can only talk about clothes and fashion and her only use to her husband is to please him or pop out his heirs that isn't what I want, I spent the first 18 years of my life being trapped, I have spent the last week being free and I know that I'll never go back to my old life it'll kill me" I told her while standing up. She stares at me and gives me a week smile and then embraces me "Just like your mother you are".

I walk to the table where Will, Jack and Mr Gibbs are sitting and I think that Will's eyes nearly pop out of his head.

"You look like a lady Maria" Will tells me in a shocked voice with the expression to match.

"Don't sound too shocked" I tell him while downing the end of his drink and taking his place at the table, he grabs another stool and they continue the conversation.

"Well the medallion that Elizabeth has must be part of the Aztec Gold if they want her so bad"

"What's that I ask while thanking Will for bringing me another drink" Jack continues.

"Aztec gold' one of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cort's himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cort's was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold' a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity."

"That's nonsense Jack curses aren't real" I told him but when I saw the look in his eye I suddenly wasn't as sure anymore.

"Aye. That's exactly what they thought when they were first told the tale. Buried on an Island of Dead what cannot be found except for those who know where it is. Find it, they did. There be the chest. Inside be the gold. And they took 'em all. They spent 'em and traded 'em and frittered 'em away on drink and food and pleasurable company. The more they gave 'em away, the more they came to realize' the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in their mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake their lust. They are cursed men, Maria. Compelled by greed, they were, but now they are consumed by it. There is one way they can end the curse. All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid. Thanks to Elizabeth, they have the final piece."

I was shocked as Jack told the story wait...

"At least we know where they are taking Elizabeth so let's get going lads drink up" I down my rum and wait for the men to do the same.

I followed Will, Will followed, Jack and Jack followed Mr Gibbs onto the pear where there were a large number of people lined up, and they all looked like loonies to be honest. I thought I'd voice my thoughts out loud to Will.

"They all look like loonies" Will elbowed me in my stomach and told me to shut up while the crazies all seemed to glare at me.

"Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot" Gibbs tells Jack while looking quite proud of himself.

"So this is your able-bodied crew" Right so the men can insult the crew but I can't.

"You, sailor" Jack shouted at one of the taller and nicer looking sailors.

"Cotton, sir" Gibbs told Jack, Cotton must be his name

"Mr. Cotton 'do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death' Mr. Cotton! Answer, man!" Jack shouted while Cotton just looked at Jack like he was stupid good for him stick it to the man!

"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how" Well that is awkward, I feel quote awkward so I wonder how bad Jack feels right now probably ten times worse, I manage to have a little giggle at this thought.

"Mr. Cotton's... parrot. Same question" Is he serious? I noticed all the other crew members had turned to look at Jack. I must say there is a large variety of people here tall-short, fat-skinny, long hair-no hair. Every variation of person is here.

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" Awesome I really want a parrot now.

"Mostly, we figure, that means 'yes' " I have no idea how they figured that one out.

"O' course it does. Satisfied'" Jack smiled to himself and I think he asked Will if he was satisfied not telling us he is satisfied but i'm not too sure.

"Well, you've proved they're mad" Ahh he was talking to Will, see i'm not too stupid.

"And what's the benefit for us?" A very feminine looking sailor said while trying to look manly.

"Ahh the beautiful Anna-Maria" Jack said after removing the woman's hat. She turns around and slaps him and I heard Will laugh and say to Jack;

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either"

"No, that one I deserved" Jack told Will while rubbing his jaw and moving away from Anna-Maria.

"You stole my boat!" She shouted at Jack and went to slap him again but he managed to duck before she hit him.

"Actually borrowed. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you" Jack told her but because he was distracted she managed to hit him. I couldn't help but laugh.

"But you didn't!" I feel another slap coming if Jack isn't careful, I hope he isn't careful.

"You'll get another one." Jack tells her but she looks sceptical

"I will" Anna-Maria tells Jack while wagging her finger which Jack flinches away from so Will steps in:

"A better one."

"A better one!" Jack agrees

" That one" Will tells her while pointing to the interceptor is he mad? That's a Queen's boat he can't give it away.

"What one? That one'! Aye, that one. What say you?" Jack agrees with Will and shakes his hand with Anna-Maria

"Aye!" Everyone shouts including Will and myself.

"Anchors aweigh" Cotton's parrot shouts and I race to keep up with Jack and Mr Gibbs while Will helps the crew onto the ship.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir" Gibbs tells Jack.

"Hey watch what you're saying Gibbs" I tell him with a warning look.

"It'd be far worse not to have Maria here on board i'm telling you Gibbs we will benefit from it" Jack says with a wink in Mr Gibbs' direction. I look across at the sea and see that it looks very stormy but we all set sail and I find my way back to the Captain's quarters because I also called dobs on it. Will comes into my room to find Jack sitting at his little desk that I let him use and me reading one of the many books in this cabin.

"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Will sat next to me dripping wet and complaining, I hand him a towel and he thanks me before listening to what Jack has to say but before he manages to speak Mr Gibbs walks in. Seriously do these people know how to knock?

"Aye, the compass doesn't point north but we're not trying to find north, are we? We should drop canvas, sir" Mr Gibbs answers for Jack and then tells him to stop for the night, I can feel the ship begin to creak and moan under the pressure of the waves and I have been thrown off my chair 5 times now.

"She can hold a bit longer" Jack tells Mr Gibbs with a grin.

"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?" Mr Gibbs asks and Jack looks up at me and smiles while telling me:

"We're catching up"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

We have been sailing for a while now and I have the feeling that we are soon going to be catching up to the Black Pearl and the man I should call Father. Jack hasn't spoken to me since the incident with me being a mermaid but I still catch him staring at me when I go for a walk on the ship. I have grown close to Anna-Maria the last few days, I am not meant to leave my room, orders of the captain. Anna-Maria comes to visit and tells me tales of her youth, she also tells me not to trust Jack and I don't know why but I know that if it ever came down to it I would trust Jack with my life, I think i'm beginning to get feelings for him.

I am going above deck for some fresh air and I look at the sea and see about ten sunken ships I get an eerie feeling about this place, yet I still manage to feel drawn to the water, weird right?

"Dead men tell no tales_" _Cotton's parrot says while we pass through. I speak to Cotton a lot as he is an amazing listener.

"Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage" Gibbs says to Will as they sit looking at some map, I go and sit down next to Will. Whenever I feel myself getting worried or scared I always move closer to Will as I know that he will protect me. I know that he is in love with Elizabeth but Will and I aren't like that we are just friends. Will puts his arm around me as he continues his conversation with Mr Gibbs.

"How is it that Jack came by that compass?" Will asks Mr Gibbs, I look up to see Jack looking down at the compass with a confused expression on his face, he looks up to me then back down to his compass and back to me and then shakes his head and closes it, he is a very strange man.

"Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That was before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl"

"What? Captain of the Black Pearl!" I said at the same time Will said;

"What? He failed to mention that" Gibbs laughed but continued with his story anyway.

"Well, he plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure, too, so Jack gives up the bearings. That night there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat"

"That's so awful how could they betray him like that?" I ask Mr Gibbs and he just shakes his head and looks down and sys "That's the life of a pirate. See you can't trust anybody" He tells us with a sad smile.

"Ah. So that's the reason for all the'" Will asks while doing some of the hand actions that Jack does I laugh but stop when Mr Gibbs gives me a harsh stare. Its obviously a touchy matter for him.

"Reason's got nothing to do with it. Now Will, Maria, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot 'one shot. Well it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starvin' belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look _real_ friendly. But Jack 'he escaped the island, and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it, though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate." Mr Gibbs tells us and I gasp,

"that is an absolutely horrible thing to do to someone" I tell Mr Gibbs but they both ignore me as Will just says one word that sends chills down my spine, the worst thing anyone could say.

"Barbossa" I close my eyes to try and stop the tears, i'm sure that Barbossa hasn't done anything to hurt Elizabeth she did give him my name so surely he wouldn't hurt her.

"Aye" Gibbs confirms and I was about to leave but Will grabs my hand and gives me a reassuring smile so I remain seated while he continues the stories to Gibbs.

"How did Jack get off the island?" Ahh I was wondering that too, good thinking Will.

"Well, I'll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature 'came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed 'em together and made a raft"

"Well that's farfetched but impressive" I mutter but none of them hear me.

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?" Will asks sceptically. I'm telling you that boy has trust issues and no imagination.

"Aye, sea turtles" Gibbs confirms with a slight laugh as he takes a drink out of his flask, i'm sure that he is always drunk. Will declines his offer of a drink but i'm not going to say no so I down the rest of his rum and hand the empty flask back to Gibbs and he gives me a glare. I give an almighty belch and Gibbs laughs.

"You may look like a lady but ya don' act like one tha' for sure" He tells me while looking at the dress I have on, it's the same one I had on when we left Tortuga of course it has been washed though.

"What did he use for rope?" Will asks completely ignoring mine and Gibbs' conversation still trying to pick holes in Jacks survival story. We were all too absorbed in our conversation that we didn't hear Jack until he came up behind us and answered Will's question.

"Human hair' from my back, It seems we have reached our destination Mr Turner. Let go of the anchor!" He tells Will while shouting orders at the crew.

"Let go of the anchor, Jack?" I ask with suspicion, he has been staring at me for a while with a funny look in his eye. It's like he is planning something.

"Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore" Jack replies to me while pulling Will up out of his seat.

"What about me, am I not allowed to come and rescue my sister. That's the whole point of me coming along!" I shout at Jack and follow him as he and Will walk towards the little dingy.

"You're not going to like this William but believe me it's for the best" Jack tells Will and before I can process what is happening I am thrown over Jacks shoulder and I see Will trying to fight his way through the crew members to get to me. I start kicking and thumping my arms and legs against Jack but he doesn't even flinch.

"Jack you put me down you no good piece of..."

"Do not swear with that pretty little mouth of yours, lovey, it will ruin it" Jack tells me before I could finish so I settle for just screaming and trying to injure Jack but it's like I am not even there anymore. I am thrown against a bed and look up to see that I am in the Captain's Quarters.

"I'm terribly sorry lovey, but it's for the best you can't be injured and it's too dangerous for you out there" He tells me with a sad smile.

"Jack please let me go it's my sister out there she is in danger, you have t let me help her" I plead with him but he just takes my face in his hands and looks me directly in the eye.

"I'm sorry but I care too much about you to let you get hurt" He tells me and with that he steals my first kiss, it was everything I dreamed it would be complete with fireworks and the sense of tingles running all over my skin.

"I am sorry love but it's for your protection" He tells me and before I can recover from the kiss he is out of my door and locking it.

"This door is not to be opened d you understand?" Jack tells Gibbs while handing him the keys, I am now stood with my ear to the door trying to hear what they are saying. I gave up trying to get out through the door when I heard Jack lock it.

"Aye Captain' I understand" Gibbs tells Jack while taking the keys.

"Good i'll be on my way then" Jack tells Gibbs and I hear him start to walk off

"Captain! What if the worst should happen?" Gibbs asks Jack before he goes off to save Elizabeth.

"Keep to the code" Jack answers sadly and I feel my heart droop, I know what the code is i'm not stupid.

"Aye, the code" Gibbs tells himself with sadness in his voice. I hear a splash and run to the window and I can see Jack and Will rowing towards the Isla de Muerta. If he thinks that a locked door and a stretch of ocean will stop me then he has another thing coming to him. Now where do I start?


	5. Chapter 5

Once I was sure that Jack and Will where far away enough so that they wouldn't see me I managed to get the window in Jack's room wide open. I manage to squeeze out of the window and I only then realise the seriousness of this action, I could actually die. I am hanging off the back of a ship without a plan. God i'm stupid! I manage to navigate my way to the Anchors rope and I try wriggling down but this just gives your hands and calves serious rope burn. I almost fall into the water a few times but luckily... Wait a minute! I can fall into the water, i'm a mermaid whoa! God I seriously am stupid, this could have saved loads of time. I managed to gather enough courage to jump of the rope and I feel myself plummet into the warm sea below. I am under the water for a few seconds when I start to feel the tingles in my toes, and rises to my calfs. Once the tingling has met my stomach I know that i'm fully transformed.

I head to the surface to check that none of the crew heard the splash that I made while falling into the water. Luckily it looks like everyone is busy at whatever job they have to do. I look down and see that I am still in the dress that Daphne gave me in Tortuga, it's beginning to get heavy and I know that if I want to catch up to Will and Jack that I have to ditch the dress. I manage to rip the dress off and the corset but I decide to leave the under dress on just in case I turn back to a human and end up butt naked in front of a bunch of sex deprived pirates. I look across and see that Will and Jack are half way across to the island so I decide to set off after them. To make sure that I'm not seen when I get closer to them I decide to swim underwater. It's amazing I can see the brightly coloured fish and the coral is unreal. I have always had a connection to the sea from when I was a young age yet I never knew why until a few weeks ago.

"What Code is Gibbs to keep to if the worst should happen?" I hear Will ask Jack, God I can swim at the speed of light, i'm supper duper fast! I look around I realise that we are now in shallower water and in a cave. I keep to the back to make sure that they can't see me as they are becoming obsessed with the gold coins at the bottom of the water.

"Pirate's Code, Any man that falls behind' is left behind" Even I knew that Will, he looks a bit uneasy about this though. I wonder what he is planning.

"No heroes amongst thieves, eh?" Will jokes with Jack probably trying to lighten the sombre mood the talk of the code brings.

"You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates you're well on your way to becoming one. Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship of the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga and you're completely obsessed with treasure." They both look down at this point and because I wasn't sure where I was going they both saw me, Jack looked angry and Will looked amused.

"Get her up here William, no need for her to be sneaking about now that we have seen her" Jack says while he continues rowing and Will pulls me up and onto the boat.

"I told the men to look after you and make sure you didn't escape are they completely incapable of holding a girl in a room, you shouldn't have snuck out either Maria! It's dangerous" Jack shouts while we hit land, Will gave me his Jacket as I had turned back to human and only had my under dress on. Jack had just enraged me by shouting, he isn't the boss of me who does he think he is. However I am not stupid like 'Captain' Jack Sparrow so I don't shout and give away our position.

"Keep your voice down 'Captain' wouldn't want to give away our position over a 'little girl' now would you" I tell Jack with a smirk while jumping off the boat. The bad thing about changing is that I don't have any shoes with me now and climbing around a rocky cave is going to leave a few cuts.

"You go and swim behind us it's deep enough and it won't hurt your feet" Jack tells me and no matter how much I dislike him at the moment I have to admit that it is a good idea, so I follow his instructions.

"You know Jack; that's not true, I am not obsessed with treasure" Will tells Jack obviously continuing their conversation from earlier about Will becoming pirate like.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate" Jack tells Will while he glances round at me.

"Gentlemen, the time has come! Our salvation is nigh! Our torment is near at end" I hear a new voice say, I mange to climb onto a rock that is high enough for me to see but at the same time it is still in the water. A man is standing at the front with a grotty old jacket on and a large black hat with a stupid feather in it.

"Barbossa" Jack whispers in my ear, obviously noticing my continued stare at the man I should call Father.

"Elizabeth" Will and I say at the same time as we both see her standing next to Barbossa she is gagged and has a guard next to her. He either treats his family badly or he has figured out that she isn't me.

"For ten years we've been tested and tried, and each man jack of you here has proved his mettle a hundred times over and a hundred times again!" Barbossa says and the room cheers so I join in but Jack nudges me in the stomach to tell me to shut up.

"Punished, we were. The lot of us - disproportionate to our crimes! Here it is the cursed treasure of Cort's himself. Every last piece that went astray, we have returned' save for this" Barbossa says while pointing a dagger at Elizabeth's neck.

"Jack!" I see Will panicking to try and get too Elizabeth probably because the knife is very close to her neck.

"Not yet. We wait for the opportune moment" Jack manages to pull him down from the sight of the enemy pirates.

"881 we found but despaired of ever finding the last" Barbossa is still droning on but I am focused on Elizabeth as the look in her eyes registers as fear, she is petrified that these moments spent in a cold, damp cave will be her last.

"When's that? When it's of greatest profit to you?"Will tells Jack while pushing him away from him.

"Will please listen to Jack he has a plan, we don't and if my sister dies because of your stupidity then I will make your life hell" I tell him while shooting him a glare

"May I ask you something? Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Do 'us a favour? I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here and try not to do anything stupid" Jack tells Will and gives me a pointed glance.

"And who among us has paid the blood sacrifice owed to the heathen gods?" Oh god I think this is it we have to act now or Barbossa will kill Elizabeth.

"Us!" The pirates shout, I look at Jack in alarm and he shakes my head telling me no, not yet.

"And whose blood must yet be paid?" Barbossa says while glancing around the room.

"Hers!" They all chant back at him.

"Begun by blood' by blood undone" Barbossa shouts while grabbing Elizabeth, I'm sorry Jack but I've got act now. I turn to tell Jack but Will has just hit him over the head with an oar and he falls unconscious.

"Sorry, Jack. I'm not going to be your leverage" Will tells him while moving him so he could still breathe.

"Come on Will i'm moving now. I'm betting that it is your blood that they need and not her huh?" I ask while we swim up a little stream that leads to a spot close to Elizabeth.

"That's it?" Elizabeth says as he cuts her palm and lets the blood drip onto the golden coins. Will and I sit and watch waiting for the opportune moment to move.

"Waste not" Barbossa tells her with a shrug. At least he didn't kill her I suppose.

"Did it work?"

"I don't feel no different"

"How do we tell?" The pirates where all asking and then a shot rang out, I jump up to see if Elizabeth is ok but Will pulls me down and points across to one of the crew members.

"You're not dead"

"No. He shot me!"

"It didn't work"

"The curse it still upon us!" The pirates started to mumble between themselves but I saw Barbossa turn and Grab Elizabeth by her arms and he began to shake her, you can see the anger in his eyes.

"You, maid! Your father, what was his name? Was your father William Turner?" He shouted at her.

"No" She answers coolly but you could tell that she was petrified from the look on her face.

"Where's his child? The child that sailed from England eight years ago, the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner. Where?" Barbossa screams at her before smacking her across her face, she flies down a slope and lands in front of us but she is unconscious. Will throws water on over her and she wakes with a start but she takes one look at my tails and nearly passes out again but I shake my head and tell her and Will to get moving. I swim after them and I hear the conversation turn back to Elizabeth so we sped up, I was rounding the corner when a bullet hit my fin, I hear a scream and then Barbossa shout.

"Don't shoot she is my child!" I almost smile before I realise that he means Elizabeth, he doesn't even know who I am or what I look like and he hadn't seen my face then he must have assumed that Elizabeth had the mer-blood of his old lover in her. For some reason this really annoyed me but I kept swimming until we were back at the dingy and Jack. I run out of the water and towards Jack trying to wake him but I feel hands grab my waist and throw me over their shoulder. I was now screaming and crying trying to get back to Jack so I could save him from those awful pirates that ruined his life years ago. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get out of Will's firm grip. He placed me in the boat and Elizabeth's arms where around me making sure I didn't jump into the water and try to help Jack but they also offered comfort as she tried to get me to stop crying. It's times like this that I need my sister, she has the man she loves and is back with him and she knows that she has a safe home to go to. I don't the Governor might not want me anymore and I know that staying with my real father is really unsafe, and the man I loved... the man I loved is lying unconscious in a cave that we are rowing away from. I am still crying in Elizabeth's arms by the time we are back at the boat. I will save Jack and no one will stop me. Everyone has been playing a game so it is now time that I become the number one player.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Will helped me and Elizabeth back onto the boat. I searched for the one person I knew would understand. Anna-Maria. She took one look at me and opened her arms. Once I was there I started crying once again.

"Not more pirates" Elizabeth complains as she stands up and moves closer to Will. Mr Gibbs moves through the crowd of pirates and towards Elizabeth.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Elizabeth" he tells her while bowing and kissing her hand. Probably to have a laugh at her expense, as she curtsied. Her face was full of shock.

"Mr. Gibbs?" Elizabeth asked probably wondering how he became a pirate.

"Hey, boy, where be Jack?" Mr Gibbs asks Will which causes a fresh wave of tears to come pouring out of my eyes, Anna-Maria hugs me closer which gets her evils off Elizabeth. She is probably jealous that I wouldn't let her comfort me but I'll let a pirate.

"He fell behind" Will says simply. I glare at Will as I know the lies that he is telling everyone. Will and Elizabeth move below deck.

"Keep to the code" Mr Gibbs tells everyone after a minute to get over the shock

"Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails! Make quickly, divvies" Anna-Maria shouts as I send her a reassuring smile and move below deck to follow Elizabeth and Will.

When I am down below I stay hidden in the shadows ready to let them know i'm there if they say anything wrong. They look very cosy while Will sits trying to wrap her hands, if they both lifted their head they would be kissing.

"You said you gave Barbossa my name as yours. Why?"

"I don't know"

"Elizabeth why give him Maria's name then?"

"I knew that he was her father and so I thought it would protect me but then he started to suspect me so I changed it to yours but after you saved me he must have thought I am his daughter as he shouted to stop them shooting at me"

"He might have seen Maria" Will tried to offer an explanation but he knew it was no good.

"No he didn't know she was there" Elizabeth sighed and then removed a medallion from around her neck; it was the one Barbossa was using to try and break the curse. Thinking about that I'll have to ask Elizabeth about the curse as I have no idea what it is but i'm sure that she knows.

"It's yours" It's yours she tells Will while putting t in his hand.

"I thought I'd lost it the day they rescued me. It was a gift from my father. He sent it to me. Why did you take it?" He looked angry and betrayed at this action.

"Because I was afraid that you were a pirate. That would have been awful" She told Will with tears in his eyes. A look of realisation was on his face as he figured out the whole situation.

"It wasn't your blood they needed. It was my father's blood, my blood, the blood of a pirate"

"Will, I'm so sorry, please forgive me" Elizabeth pleads but Will just ignores her while he slams the medallion down on the table and then storms above deck. I leave quietly to head to Jacks quarters Elizabeth doesn't deserve my comfort but if I stay there any longer I'd end up giving it to her.

I was up on deck sitting at the wheel with Anna-Maria and Mr Gibbs. They were the closest thing I have had to parents on this entire journey and I don't know what I'd do without them. I can see Will trying his hardest to ignore Elizabeth through working and Elizabeth is just sitting moping at the front of the ship.

"Hands aloft to loose t'gallants! With this wind at her stern, she'll carry every sail we've got" Gibbs shouts suddenly, bringing me in from my daydream. He crew instantly get to work and I grab a telescope out of Mr Gibbs' hands and look around for any sign of danger and then I spot it. A ship with black sails, that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out. The Black Pearl.

"What's happening?" Elizabeth asks while trying to keep out of the way of the crew, probably doesn't want to get her dress dirty. I can' really speak because all I have on is my under dress and one of Jack's coats from his quarters.

"The Black Pearl, she's gaining on us" Anna-Maria tells Elizabeth and she just looks shocked.

"This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean"

"You can tell them that after they've caught us" Anna-Maria tells Elizabeth coldly probably because of the way her and Will have been treating me. Not one of them has bothered to speak to me even though they know that i'm a mess because of what happened with Jack.

Suddenly, an idea pops up into my head **"**We're shallow on the draft, right?" I ask Anna-Maria.

"Aye" she answers unsure of where I am going with this.

"Well, then can't we lose them amongst those shoals?" I ask her. Well anyone seen as though we can now see the crew without using a magnifier.

"We don't have to outrun them long, just long enough" Gibbs tells us excitedly. Probably thinks it's his great idea.

"Lighten the ship, stem to stern!" Anna-Maria shouts at the crew.

"Anything that we can afford to lose, see that it's lost" Gibbs shouts and the crew are running around trying to throw anything they can into the ocean.

I look down to see someone trying to through a cannon over board, I run down to stop them as I see the Black Pearl has oars out of the side of it and it is now gaining on us fast. _"_We're gonna need that" I tell the sailor and then run back up to join Gibbs, Anna-Maria, Will and Elizabeth by the wheel.

"It was a good plan, up 'till now" Anna-Maria tells me with a little laugh.

"Gibbs! We have to make a stand. We must fight! Load the guns!" Will shouts at Gibbs, he must be stupid we just threw the cannons overboard.

"With what?" Anna-Maria asks probably thinking the same thing as me. Will is crazy.

"Anything. Everything! Anything we have left"

"Load the guns! Take shot and langrage. Nails and crushed glass! With a will! The Pearl is going to luff up on our port quarter. She'll rake us without ever presenting a target" Gibbs shouts at the men. He compared to Will is a genius.

"Lower the anchor on the right side. On the starboard side!" Elizabeth tells Anna-Maria suddenly.

"Don't shout at her like that!" I tell Elizabeth but both her and Will ignore me.

"It certainly has the element of surprise" Will agrees with a smile.

"You're daft, lady! You both are!" At least someone see's that there isn't much point in it, we will be sunk!

"Daft like Jack! Lower the starboard anchor! Do it, ye dogs, or it's you we'll load into the cannons!" Gibbs shouts as the anchor is lowered, he agrees with Will and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth tells Anna-Maria to let go and she does, the boat is then swung round to the side to face the Pearl sideways on.

"We will be sunk they have twice as much cannons and they even have cannon balls, something we are short of!" I shout. Will smiles at me and then runs off to help prepare the cannons.

The Pearl is set up opposite us now and if we even have a chance of winning we have to attack now. I look around and see that everyone is waiting for the order so I stand up and with all the air my lungs will allow me to use I shout: "FIRE!"

"Fire!" Elizabeth copies my call with one of her own. The Pearl starts shooting at us and soon splinters of wood are flying everywhere. I duck and grab a gun. I turn to see everyone standing in a circle.

"We could use a few more ideas, lass" Gibbs tells Elizabeth she shrugs her shoulders.

"Your turn" She tells him. It's obvious the ship is going down.

"We need us a devil's dowry" Gibbs says with a saddened look on his face.

"We'll give them her" Anna-Maria says while pointing her pistol at Elizabeth and I raise mine at her without thinking what i'm doing.

"She's not what they're after" Will tells us breaking mine and Anna-Maria's stares.

"The medallion" Elizabeth says while grabbing at her bare throat. Will moves fast as he runs below to retrieve it.

I turn just in time as a pirate has managed to board our ship. I quickly stab him and move on to my next opponent. I swing and just miss him with my sword. He takes his turn and manages to get his arm around me and a little knife against my throat ready to slit.

"Lucky for you Captain Wants as man crew members as possible for hostage" He tells me with a sinister smirk and rough laugh. 

The man grabs a rope and swings us across onto the Pearl; I turn and see Jack falling onto the interceptor. I take my chance while the man is distracted and run towards the next rope and swing myself across and land in a heap on the floor of the interceptor right in the middle of the fighting.

"Ahh. Where's dear William?" I look up to hear Jack ask Elizabeth while he glances at her hand.

"Will? Will!" Elizabeth screams while trying to lift the grate that Willis trapped under. I turn to Jack and he turns to face me and before I knew it I feel his lips against mine. I feel our lips moving in sync totally unaware of the dangers around us.

"I tried to save you Jack but Will threw me onto the boat and I screamed and kicked and tried everything but he wouldn't let me save you" I tell him in after we break apart, I feel the tears running down my cheek. I turn to the side to see a monkey with the medallion running down the side of the ship.

"Monkey!" Jack says while grabbing my hand and running after it. We both end up at a plank and I feel another arm grab mine, I am swung over a shoulder and see Elizabeth desperately trying to get the grate open, Will will die!

"I can't move it. Will!" Elizabeth screams while she is dragged away, I join her.

"Will!" we both scream while trying to get out of the hold the awful pirates have on us. It's humiliating being carried this way, like a farmer would through one of his cattle over his shoulder.

"Elizabeth! Maria!" Will shouts as we land on the other ship. We are standing on the Black Pearl with me and Elizabeth at the front and Jack standing next to us. "Don't do anything stupid" he whispers to me.

"If any of you as much as thinks the word, parley, I'll have your guts for garters" One of the pirates of Barbossa's crew shouts at us.

"Will!" Elizabeth screams while I managed to break out of the hold and run at Barbossa while smacking him I scream "You've got to stop it! Stop it! Let us go!"

"Welcome, Miss. I hope you don't mind. Women are only here for one reason on this ship and being dressed as you are it seems only fair that you give us a few favours" Barbossa says while pushing me into the crew, their hands grabbing at me and pulling me below deck. My own father would do this. I suppose he thinks Elizabeth is his daughter but no woman should be treated like this. I was just about under when the unthinkable happens.

"Barbossa!" Will shouts as he jumps on to the deck. The crew stop trying to pull me below deck and I look around I see Anna-Maria knocked out and Jack with a knife at his throat and a black eye forming, Mr. Gibbs is the same. They probably tried helping me but only got a beating themselves.

"Will" Elizabeth screams and tries running at him but Barbossa pulls her into his chest. She looks repulsed.

"They go free" Will shouts while motioning to me and Elizabeth and points his gun at Barbossa. Will knows that i'm his daughter so why hasn't he just told him? It would save his Elizabeth.

"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa asks Will while pulling Elizabeth behind him, out of the way of the shot. That is very fatherly so maybe he isn't that bad after all.

"They go free!" he tells Barbossa again.

"You've only got one shot, and we can't die" He laughs at Will.

"Don't do anything stupid" I hear Jack mutter the same thing he said to me at Will.

"You can't. I can" Will tells Barbossa while pointing the gun at his own head.

"Like that" Jack mutters and looks at me and mouths 'are you ok?' I nod in response and turn back to the conversation that Will and Barbossa where having.

"Who are you?" Barbossa asks curiously. I look at Jack in alarm and he nods understanding what I mean suddenly.

"No one. He's no one. A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though, eunuch" Jack tells Barbossa while moving the blade away from his neck and walking toward Will. Will just ignores my silent pleas and Jacks attempt to save his life by telling Barbossa anyway.

"My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins"

"He's the spitting image of ol' Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us" One of the pirates agree.

"On my word do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker" Will loads the pistol and positions it under his chin.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner"

"Elizabeth and Maria go free" He tells Barbossa but i'm telling you that he won't let Elizabeth go not while he thinks that she is still me.

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" I see that Jack points at himself. I try not to laugh at Will's heroic attempts.

"And the crew, the crew are not to be harmed" Will tells Barbossa.

"Agreed" Barbossa tells Will and then pushes Elizabeth and me and Jack into the mast with the others. We all stand and watch while the crew start sailing. Once we stop I can see a small island, there is nothing there but trees and a beach. Barbossa walks up to Elizabeth with a bucket of water. He throws it over her head and I quickly move out of the way of the water.

"I knew you weren't her. Tell me where is the real Maria or I will slit Elizabeth's little throat" Barbossa threatened Elizabeth still thinking that Elizabeth was my name. Elizabeth struggles to come up with an answer, so I do.

"She died, one of you cannon balls hit her straight on and you did nothing to stop it you are heartless going around killing innocent people for your own benefit. Maybe if you had asked we would have given you the medallion and Will would have volunteered to donate his blood but NO! You go around and kidnap her, she is one of the maids at the Governor's households she has nothing to do with this and your daughter. She would have been disgusted with the way you treated people and the way you treat women. We are not her for your pleasure! We are here because we deserve a life but you on the other hand don't!" I shout at him. I expected a smack but no pain came. I open m eyes to see Barbossa standing with tears in his.

"I killed her?" He asked timidly, I couldn't continue so Jack does. As he tells him about the made up girl dying because of a cannonball and her body being lost to the ocean you can see the heartbreak in Barbossa's eyes.

"Walk the plank!" Barbossa suddenly yells and he grabs Elizabeth and puts her on the plank. Jack grabs my hand as I realise that I am now crying.

"Go on, Poppet, go! Walk the plank!" One of the creepier pirates tells Elizabeth as she is on the plank with swords pointed at her.

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!" Will shouts as he is strapped down to the main mast. Pirates untie me and Jack and pull us forward. I shoot a reassuring smile at Will but he just looks lost and helpless. I wish I could go to him but of course I can't as I am to walk the plank next.

"Don't dare impugn me honour, boy. I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where. Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?" Barbossa tells Will while he is being gagged.

"Aye" They all agree.

"So I'll be having that dress back before you go" Barbossa tells Elizabeth. The dress she was wearing was disgusting so I have no idea why he wanted it back. That dress is so ugly it deserves to drown.

"It goes with your black heart" Elizabeth tells Barbossa while throwing it at him.

"Ooh, it's still warm"

"Off you go! Come on!" One of the pirates shouts, wanting Elizabeth to fall in.

"Too long!" the scary pirate shouts as he moves the plank so Elizabeth falls in.

"Look Barbossa you really don't want to let Elizabeth here fall into the ocean believe me you will regret it" Jack tells Barbossa trying to bargain for my life instead of his own this time. As I prepare myself to be pulled up next Barbossa stops my pirate guard and replaces my spot with Jack.

"I'd really rather hoped we were past all this" Jack tells Barbossa and I manage to smile reassuringly at him. Jack smiles back and mouths 'nothing stupid' reminding me not to give away my true identity.

"Jack? Jack, did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip" Barbossa points out the island to Jack.

"I did notice"

"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape, but I doubt it. Off you go" Barbossa pulls out his sword and puts it on Jacks neck.

"Last time, you left me a pistol with one shot" Jack reminds Barbossa.

"By the powers, you're right. Were be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward" Barbossa then gets Jack's pistol but doesn't give them to Jack just yet.

"Seeing as there's going to be three of us, a gentleman, would give us three pistols" Jack says trying to bargain with Barbossa.

"It'll be one pistol as before, and you can be the gentleman and shoot one of the ladies and starve to death yourself. You could always drown the other" Barbossa then throws the pistol into the sea and Jack smiles at me before jumping in after them. Barbossa waits before Jack has reached land before starting with me.

"Well Missy, you tell me why I be regretting this decision?" Barbossa asks me. I turn to him sweetly before jumping up onto the board. I move to the edge and say the four words that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I'm Maria, your daughter"

I then feel myself in the sea and the familiar tingles surround me once again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I start to pull myself up onto the beach which is a hard task when you have got a tail. I look up to see Jack. He pulls me into his arms and sets me down on the beach. I look out to see the ship sailing off. Barbossa obviously doesn't care about me or he wouldn't have left me here, all the good things that my mother had said in that letter had been wrong. He is a good for nothing pirate. My legs had returned so I stood up and walked to stand next to Jack.

"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship" Jack tells me softly. I take his hand in mine and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? So we can escape in the same way you did then" Elizabeth asks Jack while we start to follow him into the trees. He turns behind him and starts to knock on the trees.

"To what point and purpose, young missy? The Black Pearl is gone and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice ? unlikely - young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him" Jack tells her, obviously still angry at being stranded here again.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow. You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" Elizabeth tells him while trying to raise his spirit. I just keep quiet; being in this heat with the sun glaring down on you isn't the most comfortable of experiences.

"Last time, I was here a grand total of three days, all right? Last time the rumrunners used this island as a cache. Came by, and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've long been out of business. Probably, have your bloody friend Beckett to thank for that" Jack said while opening a hidden door in the ground. Hearing Beckett's name shakes me out off the trance.

"Don't you dare mention his name Jack Sparrow! He is a weasel of a man with not a drop of goodness in him" I tell Jack while glaring. He holds his hands up in mock surrender and Elizabeth comes to wrap her arm around me. Only she knows what he did to me and how badly I was affected by it.

"So that's it then? That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days lying on a beach, drinking rum?" Elizabeth shouted. I quite liked the idea of lying in the sun drinking rum.

"Welcome to the Caribbean, love" He tells her while handing each of us a bottle of rum and walking off into the direction of the beach. I grab another and start to drink the first. By the time we had reached the beach I was half way through the first bottle.

"I'd watch lovey, that's a mighty strong drink" Jack tells me while taking a swig of his own.

"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'Earties Yo ho! Yo ho, Yo ho a pirate's life for me" Jack and Elizabeth sang, really badly, around the fire while I lay flat out on the beach trying to figure out if I was moving or if the earth was. I probably should have paid attention to Jacks warning about the rum

"I love this song! Really bad eggs! Ooh. When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!" Jack said while he fell beside me on the sand. I think neither he nor Elizabeth remember that I am here.

"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main" She told Jack while moving in closer to him. They were definitely flirting.

"Not just the Spanish Main, love. The entire ocean, the entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs but what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom" Jack told Elizabeth his dreams, she seemed to realise the position they were. She moved closer to him and started to bat her eyelashes.

"Jack, it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island" Elizabeth said to Jack trying to sound coy. This started to make me angry. Jack was mine we had kissed didn't that mean we were together? I had only just started to trust men again after what happened with Cutler Beckett.

*Flashback*

"Well Ms Swan, I have had a wonderful afternoon and seen as though we will be married before the end of summer we could have fun tonight"

"No Cutler, we must wait until we are married" I told him while trying to push him away from me. He was a man and I was only a young woman, I had no chance against the man. I soon found myself pushed against a wall with his hand going everywhere. Every time I tried to scream I would get a smack in the face. I soon learned my lesson. I will spare you the gory details.

"There now that wasn't too bad was it, you should learn to enjoy it, and we will be doing it all the time when you are married" He told me while fixing his pants.

"Oh dear it looks like you have ripped your dress, let's get you home now love. I'll see you tomorrow" He winked at me and walked off leaving me on the door step. Elizabeth looked out of her window and saw me crying in a heap. She came running down to help and soon bathed me and of course saw what he had done. I had bruises all over my body. I told her of course. We tried to tell father but every time he just told us he was too busy. Deep down I knew that he had heard what had happened but because of Beckett's position he chose to ignore it and continue with my marriage to him. What type of man would do that? He is scared of Beckett and therefore thinks that by me marrying Becket would give him favours with the higher ranks. It would have been awful but every time I saw the man it made me sick.

*End of Flashback*

That is why I am glad I met Jack. I will never have to go back to Beckett ever.

"Why is our Maria so scared by the mention of Beckett's name?" Jack asked Elizabeth, probably remembering my outburst from before. At this point I pretend to be asleep as I can feel Elizabeth looking over to see if I am asleep.

"Well Jack, she was so young and believed that all men where good. She was only just 17, she and Beckett were to be married and they had gone for a walk. It was late and so I was going to go and find her when I looked out of my window and saw her in a heap crying her eyes out. I go down and see her dress was ripped and she had bruises all over her face arms and legs. I then took her to the bath and it just got worse but I won't go into details. She then sat with me in tears for hours until she finally told me. She tried to tell our father but the marriage was to go ahead anyway. It is obvious what happened isn't it Jack? I don't have to spell it out do I? Jack need you to do something for me, will you please take her with you when I get back to Port royal, she can't marry that monster. Please promise me!" When she had finished I was in tears, I don't know if it was because she told Jack or because she realises that it is better for me not to marry him, she is trying to protect me.

"I promise love, she will love the freedom" Jack told her, giving her a bottle of rum.

"To freedom" Elizabeth toasted.

"To the Black Pearl and Maria" Jack toasted. I looked up in time to see Elizabeth whack him on the back of the head with a glass bottle.

"Elizabeth what are you doing?" I ask suddenly, she jumps when she see me awake.

"I have to get back to Port Royal, i'm sorry that I have to do this but I just have to get home but I have made sure that you don't have to go back to Beckett" Elizabeth told me and all I heard was a smash and then I was covered in darkness.

"But we've got to save Will" I heard once I came round. I looked up and saw I was lying on the stairs and Elizabeth was arguing with Father. Well Mr Swan.

"No. You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates!" Governor Swan told Elizabeth while pulling me up into a hug.

"How are you my daughter?" Governor Swan asked me. I smiled slightly at him calling me his 'daughter'.

"Then we condemn him to death" Elizabeth shouted at Father.

"What are you talking about?" I ask quietly.

"He won't go and save Will" Elizabeth explained.

"The boy's fate is regrettable, but, then, so was his decision to engage in piracy"

"To rescue me. To prevent anything from happening to me" Elizabeth tried explained.

"What about me? I took part in as many of those actions as Will did!" I shout.

"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion. The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" Jack said. I looked at him and saw that he was tied up and standing on the plank.

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself, keep walking Sparrow, it's easier just to kill you out here rather than in Port Royal" Commodore Norrington told Jack.

"No don't kill Jack, please Father I'll do anything?" I plead with my Father.

"Commodore, I beg you, please do this. For me. As a wedding gift" Elizabeth told the Commodore, wedding, she agreed to marriage so she can save the man she loves. Great idea.

"Elizabeth, Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" Father asked.

"I am" She agreed.

"A wedding! I love weddings, drinks all around!"Jack shouts bringing me out of my daydream and back into reality.

"I will marry the Cutler if you release Jack, I promise Father" I tell him while looking at Jack.

"NO! Maria, I won't let you do that for me" Jack tells them trying to jump but the men hold him while my father and Commodore address my offer.

"A double wedding how wonderful" My Father claps his hands and hugs me and Elizabeth while the Commodore tries to restore order to the ship.

"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta . You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave' Do I make myself clear?" Commodore tells Jack with a stern face. I look at Jack and I know that it isn't the right decision for my life but it is for Jack's and that is the most important thing to me. I love him.

"Inescapably clear" Jack replies while staring at me and I knew that I was going to be scolded for making the decision to marry my attacker.

The men and Jack had been loaded into the dingys. I then felt two arms around me as me and Elizabeth were shoved into the Captain's quarters.

"Sorry, but for your own safety"

"Coward! The commodore ordered, I have to tell him! The pirates! They're cursed! They cannot be killed!" Elizabeth shouted, I knew what she was going on about as Jack had managed to explain about the curse.

"Don't worry, miss, he's already informed of that. A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story" One of the guards tells her. I can't help but laugh; this is all Jack's doing.

"This is Jack Sparrow's doing!" Elizabeth exclaims as we hear the door locking.

"Dear Elizabeth, you need to know how to escape by using your strength and brain rather than waiting for a man to do it for you" I tell her with a sly smile. She notices my smile and a similar one appears on hers.

"You have a plan?" Elizabeth asks.

"Oh yes a great plan"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I start to tie the bed sheets into knots and then anything that I can find that will make it easy for Elizabeth to climb down, I can just jump. It won't kill me i'm a mermaid.

"Elizabeth will you please start helping, you are just wasting time" I scold her, she smiles at me and then starts to help too.

"Why did you say that you would marry him Maria? That's your life ruined" Elizabeth asked me. I stop and look at her; I see the sadness in her eyes. I know that she is feeling guilty for bringing us back to the ship. She had set a massive fire that the ship had seen and then we ended back here.

"I had to, it was the only way to save Jack" I told her while continuing with what I was doing.

"Jack doesn't want you to do it, he loves you too you know" She told me while we worked.

"Do you love Will?" I ask trying to change the subject.

"I-I-I well... I-I-I... Yes, I do love him, I have always loved Will" She told me while stopping what she was doing to show me the biggest grins I have ever seen her wear.

"Well I am pleased for you but you can't tell me that agreeing to marry the Cutler was wrong if you are going to do the same for Will" I told her, I saw that what I had said has upset her.

"I will be marrying a decent man. You will be marrying your rapist!" Elizabeth shouts. What she said should have upset me, but i'm over it. It happened last year but i'm fine. Who am I kidding? I still have the nightmares and she knows it.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have shouted, it's not my decision to make and if you love Jack that much then i'm pleased that you have found some love before you marry him" She told me with a sad smile. I got up and gave her a hug and then started to search for a long shirt of a new under dress, mine was getting dirty but I didn't want to wear a new dress as it will get dirty. I know that it's not decent but who cares? We are in the ocean surrounded by pirates i'm, sure they have seen their fair share of women in their underwear before.

"Come on Elizabeth lets go" I tell her while giving up on finding a new dress, I suppose looking in a man's wardrobe isn't the most common place to find a woman's dress. I am so stupid at times.

"Where are we going to go once we are in the water?" She asks.

"Well Elizabeth, I am going to jump in and turn into my mermaid self and then you will hold on to me as we swim across to the black pearl and then we take over the ship by somehow managing to release the crew" I told her sounding pleased with my plan.

"You are barking mad, but it just might work"

Elizabeth and I manage to swim across to the Black Pearl only having to stop a few times before someone saw us. I help Elizabeth onto the rope but I think that it is easier if I just go and help Jack now, that was Elizabeth stays out of danger and helps the crew and I get to see Jack. Win-win right? Yes that's right.

I tell Elizabeth of my plan and swim across to the island. I now find myself standing her in the shadows trying to go unseen.

"I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict. Now where be me daughter?" Barbossa asks Jack while pointing a sword at him. Will is standing to the side and looking really anxious.

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly? Stupid" Jack grabs a sword and throws one to Will. I turn to see a pirate coming after me. I grab the closet sword and swing. I hit him down but I know it won't last; he is invincible unless we can break the curse. I look up to see Jack staring at me begging me to go back into the shadows. I do as I am asked he must have a good reason.

"You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters" Barbossa tells Jack with a wicked smile before turning to start a fight. !

"You can't beat me, Jack" Barbossa tells him. Jack turns and impales Barbossa with his sword. Barbossa laughs and removes the sword; he turns and sticks it through Jack. I feel as though my heart is literally being pulled out of my body. This is even worse than agreeing to marry Cutler. I scream and run towards Jack but Will turns and pulls me away.

"Wait Maria, he won't have let himself die so easily" Will reasons with me. I look up to see Jack standing in the moonlight but he was nothing but a skeleton, he is holding one of the medallions in his hand. I have never seen the curse before but this is disgusting. You can see every bone in his body. There is nothing else there apart from bone.

"That's interesting. I couldn't resist, mate" Jack and Barbossa start to fight, they run around the area. Will and I start to fight the remaining pirates. 

"So what now, Jack Sparrow? Will it be it two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound? Hmm?" I hear Barbossa asks Jack.

"Or you could surrender" Jack offers, I laugh. I'm surprised that Barbossa hasn't seen or heard me yet. I did scream pretty loudly. They are off once again; I can see this fight going on for a while. I duck just in time to stop my head being cut off. I turn to punch the guy in the face. This stops him for a while but only enough for me to steady my position and stance. If they don't stop soon either Will or I will end up dead and I don't like the idea of that.

I turn to see Will cornered by a pirate. He was about to stab Will but he managed to dodge.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain" The pirate says to Will while moving closer to him. OI go to help but am stopped by another Pirate.

"Do you like pain? Try wearing a corset" Elizabeth says while she emerges from the darkness in time to hit the pirate over the head with a heavy staff.

"Whoa go Elizabeth!" I shout while running to them as a pirate chases after me. Barbossa turned to look at me, this is the first time he recognised me.

"Maria?" He shouts and tries to make his way over to me.

"Whose side is Jack on?" Elizabeth asks Will as when look up to see them you can see that both of them had the curse upon them. As Barbossa shouts Elizabeth stands and takes a protective stance in front of me.

"At the moment?" Will asks while we try to fight off 3 pirates. I manage to string all of them together and Elizabeth throws a grenade into the middle one. We then push the skeleton pirates out of the moonlight so they become human with a proper body.

"No fair" The pirate says as they all explode.

I turn to run to help Jack as I see he has cut his hand. I grab a pistol as Jack throws his medallion to Will who does the same. I turn in time to see Barbossa point his pistol at Elizabeth. I run at full speed and manage to get in front of Elizabeth just as a shot rings out. I feel shock go through my body. Shock but no pain. I turn to Elizabeth and she is just staring at Barbossa and Jack.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot" Barbossa tells Jack as he turns to look at me.

"Maria? I could have killed you! You don't risk your life for a posh Governors daughter"

"I think you forget "Father" that I too was raised as a "posh Governors daughter", so watch your mouth" I tell him with all the anger and spite in voice.

"He didn't waste his shot" Will tells Barbossa as he too cuts his palm and drops the final piece of cursed gold into the chest. I look as I see Barbossa drop his sword and hold his wound. I run to him. He falls and I manage to catch him in time. I feel tears in my eyes as I know that he is going to die.

"Maria, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. You look just like your mother .I am sorry that I wasn't much of a Father to you but please believe me when I tell you that I love you" As he says his final words the curse is lifted. I kiss his head just as he draws his last breath.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I am still crying over my dead Father's body. Jack sat in my ear whispering how sorry he was for shooting him.

"Love, i'm truly sorry. I shouldn't have done it" He told me while moving me away from Barbossa's body and onto his lap. He sat rocking me whispering sweet nothings in my ear until I stopped crying.

"It's ok Jack he was going to shoot Elizabeth or me. You saved my life again. Thanks Jack" I tell him with a sad smile. I pull him to his feet and I crush my lips against his. The feeling of pure love fills my body, this is where I belong. With Jack I know that I am home.

"I love you Maria" Jack tells me while pecking me softly on my lips.

"I love you too Jack, but I still have to go back, Father will be waiting for me" I tell him with a sad smile while leaning up to give him another kiss but his hand covers my mouth.

"No not after everything we have been through, you can't leave me. Especially not for him, he doesn't deserve you, I might not either but at least I will treat you right so please stay with me don't go back" He tells me while grabbing hold of my arms and starts to shake me as if he wants to shake some sense into me.

"Jack you're hurting me, stop it please. I can't do it Jack. I have to marry him and you know it" I tell him while the tears flowed freely down my face.

"No I won't let you go" He tells me. I wince from the pain that he sends through my body as his grip on my arm tightens.

"Let her go Jack" Will tells Jack while he turns me into his chest giving me a much needed hug.

"Fine but I don't care if you have a rubbish marriage as I gave you the option Maria. I gave you my heart!" He tells me with one last glance and walks away to sort the treasure.

"Are you ok Maria?" Will asks me while he pulls out of the hug.

"I'm fine just a bit sore but I think that was the fight with the pirates rather than Jack" I tell him with a little laugh.

"Ok that's good. Maria, Jack is right. You can't marry Beckett he is an awful man. I don't know what he did to you but if he so much as hurts you then you come running to me and I will sort it. Ok?" Will told me while we walked towards Elizabeth. I sit down on a crown while Elizabeth and Will sort everything out.

"We should return to the Dauntless" Elizabeth tells Will, it looked like they were about to kiss but then she changed her mind. Silly Girl, it's obvious they are made for each other.

"Your fiancé will want to know you're safe" Will tells Elizabeth with a lot of spite in his voice. I turn to see Jack walking up to Will wearing a crown and jewels. Elizabeth turns and walks away.

"If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it. Now, if you'll be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you'd drop me off my ship" Jack tells Will.

"Opportune moment for what?" I ask.

"To tell Elizabeth that he loves her" Jack replies while gazing longingly into my eyes. I give him a sad smile in return.

We all make our way towards the boats. I sit next to Elizabeth with Will in front of us rowing and Jack sat in front of him with a very solemn expression. We decided that it was for the best that no one but the pirates and Will, Elizabeth and I know about me being a mermaid. We also found out that the crew have abandoned Jack so the only place for us is back to the Commodore.

"I'm sorry, Jack" Elizabeth told Jack with a sincere smile.

"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that" Jack tells us with a sad smile on his face. There goes his freedom.

We climb back onto the ship and the Commodore pulls Elizabeth into a long hug. Will cringes at the sight so I pull him into me for a hug. It probably looked indecent, I was half naked and Will has half of his trousers torn and his shirt open. It's obvious by looking at us that we have been through a lot. I turn around to see Jack being put in chains.

"Commodore what are you doing? You said that he would go free if I married the Cutler!" I told him while moving to help Jack.

"Actually Ms Swann I think that your Father was the one who promised that not me" He told me with an evil glint.

"Let him go then, I promise you that I will marry him" I told him while getting on my knees.

"Please get off your knees Ms Swann it's not very lady like. Anyway I think that you will have to marry him any way you don't have choice. Put him in the brig and prepare him for the noose" Commodore told the Crew. I turn and see Jack being carted by the men.

"Commodore please! Don't do this to my sister; she doesn't want to marry that man so at least do something for her!" Elizabeth tried pleading for me.

"No Elizabeth I already made an exception for you but not for her too. You have saved Will and now we are going back to Port Royal where that pirate will be hanged" He told Elizabeth. While they walked away arguing took my chance and ran down to the brig.

"Jack! Are you ok? I'm so sorry; I love you I can't live if you aren't living with me Jack. I can't let you die!" I tell him while crying hysterically I tried to reach him through the bars but it was useless.

"Look Maria I will be fine. It's you I am worried about, you can't marry him Maria it will destroy everything I love about you. He will destroy your: strength; your independence; your courage and then finally your love. He will destroy you and I won't let that happen" He told me while trying to give me a kiss but the bars are in our way.

"No Jack you leave me and my marriage alone, just focus on surviving" I told him while stroking his face.

"I will not let you marry that man. I promise you Maria, it's never going to happen. I will always watch over you and your wedding will never happen trust me on this" He told me with his signature wink.

"Hey! What are you doing down here come on Miss Come along!" One of the soldiers told me while pulling me away from Jack.

"I love you Jack!"

"Love you too Love"

I was thrown into the room with Elizabeth. This was the room where we would spend the rest of our voyage. That could have been the last time I saw Jack alive. I know they won't let me but I have to get to his hanging, there has to be a way to save him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"No Maria, you can't be trusted. Do not take me for a fool; I know that you love him. That makes you a liability we can't take chances this pirate must hang" Governor Swan told me while walking into his office and closing the door. Ever since Elizabeth was kidnapped and I went gallivanting across the Caribbean to save her our guards have doubled. There is no way I can get to the hanging without Father's permission. Father, he isn't my real Father and he doesn't know that I met Barbossa who then died. He doesn't even know that I cry my tears for the loss of my Father. He thinks that all my tears are for Jack. It's partly true, but not completely.

If I want to get to the hanging to save Jack then I have to start thinking like Jack. I can act love sick surely enough; I can pretend that I want to go to see if the Cutler will be there. Good thinking. I knock on the door and wait for the 'enter' before I go in. I see my father standing at the window gazing out into the sea.

"Father, I do not love the pirate, I was in love with the freedom but not the pirate. I would like to go to show the people that Elizabeth and I are fine. They look up to us Father and we must come across strong and unbreakable or the people will start to doubt us. I would also like to go so I can spend some time with my future husband, if you would allow it. All I ask is that you consider my request Father, it benefits us all" I told him, I curtsy and then make a move to leave the room. I reach the door but before I can exit he speaks.

"Maria, you are a fine young lady and I love you dearly. You are my daughter even if it is not through blood. I was sick with worry when Elizabeth was kidnapped but when you where in the prison and then you disappeared it got worse. You are my youngest daughter and it is my job to protect you and I failed. Please forgive me my child" He told me while turning round to look at me. I look into his eyes and see the pain and grief at the thought of him failing as a Father. I pull my dress up and run to him, I feel his arms rap around me, a foreign but comforting experience.

"You haven't failed me, you have managed to cope raising two children without a wife, and you deserve another medal" I told him with a laugh.

"I have failed you. I didn't once tell you I loved you; I always put you as second best and I even ignored you. It took me the experience of nearly loosing you, to death or to pirates, for me to realise how much I love and care about you. It shouldn't have taken me that long for me to realise the love I felt for you" He told me as he unwrapped his arms from around me. I smiled up at him, realising that I could now go to the hanging but I felt bad for doing this to him. He had already lost me once and if I helped Jack I would be condemned to a pirate's death.

"Maria, you can go to the hanging but I expect no trouble from you" He told me while sitting back on his chair to start some more work. I guess i'm dismissed; I nod my head in recognition and then curtsy before leaving and making my way to the stair case. The house was still getting patched up after the attack but I can see that the stairs have been cleaned and that the new drapes hung to long across the door but apart from that the house was the same as the one I grew up in. The house always seemed normal to me until I visit the town when I was 9. I saw that the other houses weren't as big or grand as mine and I realised that my 'father' was very important and that I was expected to behave as a perfect lady. Even after the visit to the less well off town I wasn't grateful for my home, only now do I realise how lucky I am. I had to experience the life of a pirate to appreciate the comforts of my own home. I made my way up the stairs and passed Elizabeth's room. I paused at her door but hesitated before knocking. We hadn't talked since the whole experience but I wasn't sure why. I must have offended her somehow. I decided that it was for the best to let her come to me. I don't even know what I had done wrong. I look out of the main window and see the sun hitting the middle of the sky, in a day it would be the time of the hanging. I have some preparing to do.

*Next Morning*

I awake to hear a knocking on my door and Hannah, my hand maid, opening the curtains to let in the glare of the sun.

"Come on Miss, time to start getting you ready" Hannah told me while pulling my covers back from my face.

"I don't want to get up" I complain.

"But Miss it is only 2 hours until you have to be ready for the hanging" She told me while pulling a large dress from my wardrobe along with a corset. It had taken me 18 years to get used to wearing one and after being on the ships for weeks my body had gotten used to be free from the dreaded contraption. Now they were back and seeking revenge on my body.

"Glaring at it won't make me change my mind about making you wear it" Hannah told me with a laugh.

I got up and as soon as I had drunk my morning tea I was shoved into a bath and then poked and prodded at until I was ready for my dress to be put on. It took an hour just to get my corset and underskirts on, and then the dress was thrown over the top. I told Hannah I would do my own hair; I curled it and pinned up so my hat could sit on top nicely. The dress was a lovely peach and green colour that complimented my darkened skin tone perfectly. Since I had been on the ships I had gained a tinted colour on my skin, I liked it. It matched my dark brown eyes and dark hair perfectly. My mother must have had a tan as it seemed to complement me perfectly.

"Are you ready Maria?" Father asked through my door.

"Yes Father I am coming now, you can go before me as I am going to be busy for a while yet as I yet to do my makeup" I told him while beginning to apply my makeup. Plus I needed to go on my own so I can start to prepare myself for the worst. I haven't really got a plan I am just going to try and appeal to my Fathers kind and parental side.

"We are here Miss Swan" The door man told me while helping me down from the carriage.

"Thank-you sir" I walk forward and see Elizabeth and Father standing next to the Commodore. Elizabeth turned and walked to me; she hugged me and whispered how sorry she was in my ear. I realised at that moment that she was feeling guilty for Jack being captured. We joined our hands as we turned to the Commodore and Father we were ready to face the world as long as we stood united.

"Elizabeth, Maria how nice to see that you have recovered from your horrific kidnapping experiences" Ahh they were going to call me going willingly with the pirates a kidnapping so they can excuse me from being hung as a pirate.

"Ahh it is about to start let's get going shall we" Father made way to the shade and we followed behind him. The people were standing around the deck but we were to stand on higher ground and in the shade. I can't see Will anywhere; I thought he would have come with his own rescue attempt.

"The Cutler sends his apologies Miss Swan but he can't make it today as he has important business to attend to, he hopes that you understand" I almost scream at the mention of his name but I know that I have to keep up the pretence that I want to marry the weasel of a man.

"Thank you Commodore, send him my best wishes and if you would be as kind as to ask him why I haven't had a visit since I returned from my travels I would be very grateful" I told him with my usual smirk. He didn't seem to find the hint of sarcasm in my voice so it has taken all the fun out of my comment.

"Oh I love a good hanging" Father said while rubbing his hands together. He has already forgotten that this is the man whom his daughter loves.

"Jack Sparrow , be it known that you have, for your wilful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most egregious of these to be cited herewith, piracy, smuggling" The Official began.

"This is wrong" Elizabeth murmured and her future husband turned to look at her and took her hand in his.

"Tell me about it" I murmur back.

"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law, As are we all" Father told us both directing our attention back to the proceedings. Jack looks us winks at me and gives me a sad smile. It breaks my heart but I know that he hasn't given up just merely trying to think of a worst case scenario.

"Impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England" The Official went on with the list of crimes that Jack had committed. Jack laughed at the last one which causes me to have a huge grin across my face.

"Sailing under false colours, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul" The Official said while starting to prepare the noose.

"I'm sorry Father I can't stand by and watch him die, It's just not right" I say while making a move down the step but I am blocked by Will.

" Governor Swan, Commodore, Maria, Elizabeth I should have told you every day from the moment I met you. I love you. Come on Maria" Will grabs my hand as we start to move towards Jack. I see Cotton's parrot flying above us. I look up to see Elizabeth collapse as the drums cease. As they stop I run toward Jack at full speed as Will throws his sword for him to stand on.

"Move out of my way, I really don't want to hurt you" I told the executioner. He just stands his ground so I grab a block of wood and whack him across the head with it and manage to get a punch to the side of the face on him. I run to the rope and cut it with a sword I got of the executioner. Jack falls to the floor below.

"Jump love, I'll catch you" Jack tells me. I drop down the hole and sure enough he catches me.

"I'd kiss you but I can't find you through all the skirts" He tells me as he sets me on my feet. I quickly press me lips to his before running off to help secure Jack's freedom. We run fighting off men until we reach the top of the area, we became surrounded. Commodore and Father start to walk towards us with Elizabeth slowly following behind. I turn and press my lips to Jack's and we soon get lost in the feeling of pure love. Someone clears their throat to gain our attention. I look up to see Father with a look of disgust on his face at the sight of me being with a pirate.

"Lower you weapons, you can not harm my daughter. Do as I say, Commodore!" Father shouts but Commodore just ignores him and speaks to Will instead.

"I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt but not from you, but Maria did you really think I was so stupid as to believe you wouldn't try and save the man you loved" Commodore said while glancing from me to Will. We were both standing in front of Jack. I am pressed firmly to his chest and Will stood protectively in front of me.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!" Father shouts at Will and probably me but I just ignore him.

"And a good man, if all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear" Will tells them with a sense of pride in his voice.

"Make that three pairs Will" I tell him while hugging myself Closer to Jack.

"You forget your place, Turner" Commodore tells them clearly ignoring me.

"It's right here, between you and Jack" He says while grabbing my hand and I grab Jacks to show a form of unity.

" As is mine" Elizabeth says as she moves to stand next to Will, he holds her hand and I give her a reassuring smile.

"Elizabeth! Maria! Lower your weapons. For goodness' sake put them down!" Father orders again and this time they do as they are told ad the Commodore agrees. Not for me but for Elizabeth.

"So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" He asks Elizabeth.

"It is" She replies while moving into Will's arms.

"Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this. I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually?Ecumenically?Grammatically?" Jack says while moving to stand in front of my Father, still holding my hand.

"I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that" He tells the Commodore.

"Elizabeth? It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry" He tells Elizabeth while still moving me along the line of people.

"Will? Nice hat" He tells Will. We are now stood by the edge of the battlement.

"Even if I am not here I am always in your heart. I will never let you marry Cutler so I will be back" He whispers to me and gives me a lingering kiss. He turns and tells the soldiers gathered around.

"Friends! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that..." He says as he falls off the battlement. This is so Jack! Commodore grabs my arms to stop me from falling over too. Maybe he is a gentleman.

" Idiot. He has nowhere to go but back to the noose" One the solider, called Gillette, tells us.

"I wouldn't be so sure" I tell them as I see the Black Pearl coming into view.

"Sail ho!" Another solider shouts.

"What's your plan of action? Sir?" Gillette asks Commodore but he is too busy looking at me.

"It is true isn't it? The Cutler abused you it was a true story am I correct?" Commodore asks me, I nod my head slightly.

"Then I am sorry I have failed you" He tells me with a sad smile. Luckily no one has heard our conversation.

"Sir plan of action!" Gillette demanded again. He is getting annoying.

"Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course?" Father said trying to be wise but only succeeding in confusing us all.

"Mr. Turner" The Commodore turns to Will.

"This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life" He says while giving Will the sword, I think it is symbolic of him letting him live and marry Elizabeth but i'm not sure. I ask a solider next to me and he says that I am right.

"Thank you" Will replies as the Commodore starts to walk away.

"Commodore! What about Sparrow?" Gillette asks once again. Seriously i'm going to punch that guy, although it will probably get me into even more trouble.

"Well, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start" He replies and they all leave following the Commodore.

"So, this is the path you've chosen, is it? After all, he is a blacksmith" Father asks Elizabeth with a slight smile on his face as he wraps his arms around me.

"No. He's a pirate" She tells him while giving Will a kiss. Father and I walk away to give them some privacy but we both start to sing a song.

"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11/ Epilogue

"It is wonderful isn't it Maria, I'm getting married tomorrow!" Elizabeth squeals and gives me a hug.

"Elizabeth, I can't breathe" I tell her trying to push her arms off me.

"Oh sorry, I just can't help it. I'm so excited!" She gushes. I look at her standing in her wedding dress and it brings a tear to my eye. She looks lovely. It reminds me that I am to be married the day after she is, that is why we are both stood in white gowns facing each other. Elizabeth with a happy smile and me with a sad smile as I realise I will never be happy in my marriage as Elizabeth will. I will be the Cutler's possession as she will be Will's Wife. There is a huge difference between us. If I say I do then I condemn myself to a life of torture by being married to my rapist but if I don't then I will be hung, it would also disappoint my father greatly. Jack had managed to escape and the Commodore was currently out hunting him and the Pearl down. The last we heard there was a hurricane but the commodore didn't want to waste time so he tried sailing through it. Not a good idea.

"Oh girls you look beautiful" Hannah, my maid, said as she came into my room. She was the closest person to a mother that me and Elizabeth had. She had raised us when Father was away, had comforted us when we had been scolded and scolded us when we had done something wrong. In every way she was our mother.

"We better get these things off, don't want to ruin them" I said while trying to sit down, it isn't an easy task while wearing numerous underskirts and a corset.

It takes hours to pack both dresses away and then Elizabeth made me try on my bridesmaid dress. I'm sure she did that just to torture me.

We were making our way down the stairs when a servant boy came running up to me and handed me a note. It isn't an official letter as it has no stamp.

"Who gave this to you?" I ask.

"He called himself Mr. Gibbs, Miss" He answered while bowing his head slightly. I'm sick of people doing that. I'm not royalty i'm not even blood related to the Governor.

"Thank you" I told him and he ran off. Elizabeth who was standing next to me was obviously eager to see what was it said as she was currently trying to pull my arm out of its socket by pulling me into the closet room which so happened to be the main dining room.

"Open it then, it's obviously from Jack!" She told me while jumping on the spot. I don't know how she manages with these stupid dresses we have to wear but she always seems to be able to move freely.

I open the letter to see a rose fall out and onto the floor, it has been pressed. It is obviously from Jack.

_Dearest Maria,_

_ I'm not sure how to write form letters so i'm not going to Try. I have heard that your wedding is tomorrow but don't worry I won't let you marry that man. I have been Out and about looking for tReasure but I now have my sighTs set on somethinG big. If you want to i'm sUre you will be Able to find your way to my ship. Savvy? _

_Love always,_

_Captain Jack Sparrow _

"What does it mean?" Elizabeth asked me while scanning the page trying to find answers.

"It means that he wants me to come on this quest with him as it will stop me from marrying Becket" I tell her.

"I know that but what does he mean about finding him?"

"He means that if I want to go then my heart will lead me to him, so basically he is telling me that he will make port in Tortuga in the next week or so"

"How do you know that?" She asks obviously not getting it.

"The letter are all in capitals but if you rearrange them they spell out TORTUGA"

"Oh I see and you know that it will be a week as Gibbs only gave the boy the letter today, Jack has been clever hasn't he" Elizabeth said with a smile on her face.

"So are you going to come to Tortuga with me?" I ask giving her my best puppy dog look.

"I haven't been invited and I would only have been married a couple of days and that is no way to start married life" She tells me with a sad look on her face.

"Do you honestly think that the pirates will mind if you have been invited? And you and Will grew closer on the last adventure so it's a great way to start being married" I tell her with a smile.

"I don't know Maria, when would you be leaving?"

"After your wedding tomorrow, I can't give them too much of a head start"

"I'll speak to Will tomorrow" She tells me with a sigh.

"Oh you are the best sister EVER!" I tell her while giving her a hug. She laughs and hugs me back.

Someone has to watch you don't get too carried away with the Captain" She tells me with a laugh and then walks out of the room. I look out of the window to see the sun setting. I can see the pearl sailing away in the distance. I will follow you Jack; I will follow you to the ends of the earth.


End file.
